


Bad Day Bunny

by galaxbee



Series: Little Dragon Age Fics [9]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age Asunder - Fandom, Dragon Age: Inquisiton
Genre: Bunny is Cole's sister right??? Anyway yea I just assumed her name is actually Bonnie, Other, POV Second Person, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, the Inquisitor and Cole are pale forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 12:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5929195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxbee/pseuds/galaxbee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know of Evangeline and Rhys, a rush of warmth and appreciation for them falling into your chest. But the girl bears a striking resemblance to Cole, despite having less years. The resemblance is enough to notice instantly, and you still your knife from carrying out the automatic kill response.</p><p>Cole's… confused, head tilted to the side, and it's enough for you to only strike the young girl with the flat of your blade. Cole nods at the action, helping you catch the limp body, as the last of the fighting dies down around you, the red templars falling to magic and blade alike.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reuniting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mynameisyarra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisyarra/gifts).



“I liked the part with the rabbits. There should be more stories with rabbit-” Cole cuts himself off, suddenly, eyes widening in alarm under his hat.

You pause, turning to look at him in confusion. Ashes continue to land on his hat, the burning buildings sending smoke into the air constantly. The corner of the Hinterlands had been reinvaded by red templars, even after the previous attempt to remove them from the area months back.

“Cole, is everything alright?” you ask, concerned.

Cole's hat lifts up quickly, sending the grey ash into the air in a puff. His knives are in his hands motion faster than you can see, the blades glinting in the flames.

“Evangeline,” he breathes, a soft awe in his voice.

He begins running, phasing through the shadows every few steps. You follow, despite not knowing the destination. The few Inquisition soldiers sent to help manage the fighting in the area cast confused glances onto you while you're visible, but Cole moves with determination, too fast for you to pause.

It's only a few minutes before you’re standing beside him on the ridge of a small hill, looking down at a lone figure fighting a mixture of red templars and an Inquisition mage/templar force. The red templars have all but been cut down, but the stranger is attacking indiscriminately, even as they avoid harming mages. But as the pair watches, the figure cuts at a mage with one of their daggers, and a templar surges forward as he falls.

“Rhys! Evangeline!” Cole cries out, and before you can blink, he's phased forward into the battle, knives blocking a slice made to kill.

The three figures cry out in shock at his appearance, and you move to the other side of his opponent in a practised movement. You take in the situation quickly; Rhys is injured, but not badly. Evangeline's armour shows no punctures, from what they can see. The girl is frozen, literally, Rhys having cast a strong soothing spell almost immediately after her strike being blocked by Cole.

You know of Evangeline and Rhys, a rush of warmth and appreciation for them falling into your chest. But the girl bears a striking resemblance to Cole, despite having less years. The resemblance is enough to notice instantly, and you still your knife from carrying out the automatic kill response.

Cole's… confused, head tilted to the side, and it's enough for you to only strike the young girl with the flat of your blade. Cole nods at the action, helping you catch the limp body, as the last of the fighting dies down around you, the red templars falling to magic and blade alike.

You nod in appreciation at Rhys and another mage, the latter having cast a barrier around the four. The gesture is returned with a slight bow from the Inquisition mage before he’s replaced by the captain of the small troop.

“This one's been killing us for days,” he says, gesturing at the girl, “She snuck into our camp and sliced our necks as we slept, but never touched the mages. She gave the reds as good as she gave us, but we’ve lost good men.”

You frown at the figure, the temptation to drop her crossing your mind. You cast it off.

“She'll be taken in for judgement at Skyhold. Get a healer to look at her head in the meantime,” you command, before casting a glance at Rhys and Evangeline. They're staring at Cole in no small amount of shock, but he seems to be deliberately avoiding their gaze. “Would it be any trouble for these two to come with us?” you request, and the Captain shakes his head.

“Not at all. We’ll meet you back at Skyhold, Inquisitor. Travel safely.”

Two templars relieve the Inquisitor and Cole of the girl, carrying her back to camp. Their faces are twisted in their dislike and disapproval, but one murmurs to the other regarding judgement, and the expression changes to distaste and resignation. She will not be harmed.

You turn back to Cole, whose hands are clenched in fists as he gazes at the ground, his back to Rhys and Evangeline. A gentle look on your face, you loosen the grip, running your fingers along the crescent indents under the hand wraps.

“Could I hug you?” Cole requests, softer than the breeze, and you gather him up in your arms as if you could hold him together and protect him from the world in that one movement.

You can see Rhys and Evangeline looking at you, positions awkward and uncertain. Cole had told you of them; Rhys a spirit mage, able to talk with him, converse with him. How he was Cole's one true friend in the tower, and how his mistakes could have killed the man. Evangeline, a templar in the tower, who had died and returned, who was nice and pleasant and everything that Templars had, so far, proven themselves to not be.

Your eyes meet theirs before you cast your gaze to the ground, reluctantly releasing Cole. He allows the separation, a hand lingering on your side before it falls back. Rhys is smiling over his shoulder. Something in his face seems to light up, and he turns around.

“Rhys,” he says, his voice grateful and gleeful, “Evangeline.”

He hugs the two with an almost desperation, and Rhys laughs joyfully. Evangeline returns the gesture, despite the armour, a grin making her already pretty face even more breathtaking. Cole draws back, and you move to his side, leaning against him.

“I thought you'd gone back to the Fade! When he said you weren't real-” Rhys begins, eyes alight with relief and joy despite the tears.

“I’m real, now. I... can't go back to the Fade. The hurt is an anchor, weighing me down, keeping me here,” Cole explains, but his voice is still happy. You brush his hand with yours, intertwining your fingers.

“Oh, Cole-” Evangeline begins, concerned and sympathetic, but he cuts her off.

“It's okay! I'm becoming more human. I'm learning! ...Rhys, it's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done to find me,” Cole counters, stressing the point.

Rhys nods his head at the fact, but still seems to disagree. “I’m just glad the Inquisition found us when they did,” Rhys admits, “I had no idea you…”

“The Inquisitor organised that. I didn't want them to find you; it was safer away, out of the fighting. But…” Cole trails off, and you recall the missive stating that Rhys and Evangeline were in danger, and the dread you had felt at the thought of Cole loosing his friends.

“We owe you our lives, then, Inquisitor,” Evangeline says, but you shake your head.

“I owe you mine; Cole…” you trail off, shaking your head again with a smile. Cole smiles to himself under his hat at the flurry of appreciation accompanying the name.

“I see,” Evangeline comments, a small amount of humour accompanying the statement as her eyes flicker down to your joined hands.

“You-? Oh,” Rhys breathes in realisation, before he narrows his eyes slightly. 

You resign yourself to yet another mage talking to you out of concern for Cole’s wellbeing, but don't have it in yourself to condemn them for it in any way. It'll provide some entertainment on the way back to Skyhold, at least.

“One question, you two: how did you end up here? I didn't ask you to fight, you could have stayed where you were,” you ask after the thought occurs, your tone not accusatory.

“We couldn't just stand aside and do nothing! We've been in combat before, and this area had already been cleared of Venatori. It didn't cause any harm,” Evangeline answers vehemently, and you nod in understanding.

“That's true. But we’ve delt with all the red templars in the area; would you care to accompany us back to Skyhold?”

You don't need to look at Cole's face to know that his eyes are alight with hope but his mouth turned slightly downwards in expectation of rejection. But Rhys and Evangeline are pleased.

“Of course. Besides, we can't miss the judgement. That girl seemed familiar...”


	2. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room slowly empties of all but Bonnie and her two guards. The pair glance uncertainly at you, but you dismiss them with a gesture, and you and Bonnie are left alone. Or so it seems. Cole steps out of the shadows, his stealth falling away as the light brushes over him. You smile fondly at him, though it's tinged with sadness. Bonnie, in comparison, looks at him in disappointment.
> 
> “You're not Cole,” she states simply.

You walk into the main hall of Skyhold from your quarters, wearing softer clothes than the leather and metal armour you don while outside Skyhold’s walls. Almost immediately, you notice the two soldiers standing on either side of the judgement chair, and sigh. While you may have put off the more influential decisions in the past in favour of learning more about the individual, the templars were restless, the soldiers mourning the loss of the three people that had been killed. They would not greet procrastination with any favour.

You nod at the two men, sitting in the chair to wait. If it had been one of the more influential decisions, there would have been large amount of preparation. As such, the inner circle of Inquisition members, the advisors and the higher-authority workers are the only ones to be present.

As you wait, Solas and Dorian step out of the door to the rotunda, followed by a quietly curious Leliana. Varric is watching from his desk, and waves at you after noticing your eyes on him. Vivienne watches from above, Sera walking in through a door on the side before leaning on the rails. Cole is on the opposite side, and graces you with a smile at your fond glance.

Cassandra enters from the door to the garden, Cullen at her side. Blackwall follows quietly after, wood chips caught in the fabric of his clothes. The Iron Bull is absent, on a mission with the Chargers to deal with venatori agents that had returned to already cleared areas, much like Cole and yourself had been.

Josephine walks out of the second door to your left, her candle burning merrily, shining a light on her notes. You greet her with a smile, which is returned respectfully before the diplomat's attention is drawn to the double-doors. The soldiers accompanying the girl enter as if on a schedule, walking her to the stairs leading up to the judgement chair in perfect formation.

“We present… Bonnie. There is no other name associated with her that we were able to find, regrettably. As you know, she is responsible for the murder of three of our soldiers, the death of another, and the injuring of two more. She also attacked two allies of the Inquisition, which would have resulted in another death, if Cole had not blocked it,” Josephine states, her voice balanced and factual.

Upon hearing Cole's name, Bonnie lifts her head up, eyes wide in recognition. Without the heat of battle pressing over you, she's even younger in the Inquisitor's eyes, no older than 16. Josephine looks at her, confused, and a whisper of wonder begins traveling around the hall.

“It was him,” she gasps, and her eyes fill with tears. She gives a sob of relief, letting them fall, wetting the stone beneath her.

You cast a glance up to Cole, who nods and tilts his head. You nod, understanding the nonverbal message. Bonnie isn't lying, but there's something else confusing Cole.

“You know Cole?” you ask, voice filled with suspicion, leaning forward in your chair.

You try your best not to sound accusatory, but Cole has only ever admitted to having formed friendships with Rhys and Evangeline, and that he's unsure of the fate of the original Cole's family, even as he had believed them to be dead. Is it possible…?

“He's my brother,” Bonnie says, a wobbly smile forming on her face. She lowers her head, blonde hair falling in front of her eyes.

Cole inhales a gasping breath, loud enough for you to hear. You look up at him, and your eyes make contact. He looks to you, expression pleading, and you nod again.

“Bunny?” Cole calls, voice cautious but hopeful. 

Those present look over to him, their expressions confused and distrusting in equal amounts. Sera is muttering under her breath, but Vivienne is regarding Cole with a cool glare. Solas seems unbothered by the revelation, but Dorian is fascinated. The Inquisitor's gaze is drawn back to Bonnie, however, as she gives a sobbing laugh.

“Cole! I- I thought you were gone! That-”

“Inquisitor, we must continue with the trial,” Josephine states, cutting Bonnie off. 

Cole's face turns to that of thunder, disapproval etched into his expression. Solas and Varric are reacting similarly, their expressions more mild. Dorian seems disappointed, Blackwall is uncomfortable, but the announcement is met with approval from the rest of the room, barring yourself.

“You're right, Josephine. Bonnie, do you have anything to say regarding your actions?” you request, tone regretful.

“Is Cole safe here?” Bonnie asks instead, and you sits up at the unexpected statement, considering your answer.

“Cole has friends here. And if anyone tries to hurt him, they’ll have to go through me first,” you say firmly, and Bonnie nods.

“He’s dead, gone, a quiet house and a floor coated in blood. A bunny hiding in a cupboard, heart fluttering, gasping breaths. It's quite until the templars come, asking for a mage they think is a monster. You cannot tell them no, but they find nothing, you find nothing, there is nothing. Killing to make yourself alive, as if it would bring back what was lost. I'm sorry, bunny. He's gone,” Cole says softly, but the words seem to carry through the room.

There is a pause and silence, Bonnie's face shocked. Cole steps back and vanishes, and you make a mental reminder to find him as soon as you can. You pause, considering your sentence, and wishing that she weren't so young.

“Bonnie. I conscript you into service for the Inquisition, to make up for your crimes. If you prove yourself, then perhaps there will be a place for you here. Until then, you answer to me, and me alone,” you decide. 

The harsh tone used is enough to convince the majority that the punishment suits the crime, those of cynical minds assuming that making difficult decisions means you delight in the pain of others. But Leliana raises an eyebrow before turning away, Cullen scowling in his disapproval. Josephine, however, seems to be of a similar mind after the display; while her actions were wrong, she is young enough to be changed, young enough to make reckless decisions. But not young enough to be spared the pain of loss.

The room slowly empties of all but Bonnie and her two guards. The pair glance uncertainly at you, but you dismiss them with a gesture, and you and Bonnie are left alone. Or so it seems. Cole steps out of the shadows, his stealth falling away as the light brushes over him. You smile fondly at him, though it's tinged with sadness. Bonnie, in comparison, looks at him in disappointment.

“You're not Cole,” she states simply.

You help her up, Cole on her other side. She moves as if to draw away but aborts the motion, allowing him to assist her to your quarters. She’s shaking from fatigue and malnourishment, years of damage making her figure more delicate than it should be, even at her age. You make a note to ensure her portion sizes gradually increase.

“I’m not? Oh. No, I’m not that Cole. I'm sorry,” Cole says apologetically.

“Could you pretend?” Bonnie asks, her voice small.

“No. He forgot himself, after a while. But he never forgot you. I'm sorry I couldn't save him.”

You squeeze Cole's shoulder reassuringly, and his spare hand reaches up to brush against yours, a fleeting touch of recognition.

“It's not your fault,” she replies darkly, “At least you tried.”

“You shouldn't blame the templars. Evangeline never forgot me,” Cole points out.

You open the door to your room and they walk in, Cole sitting down on the rug in front of the fireplace, tugging Bonnie with him gently. She allows him to, sitting cross-legged on a pillow that she pulls down from the pile near the bed.

“But they forgot the real Cole, and now he's gone,” Bonnie states simply.

Cole pauses, hurt, but then his eyes grow wide. “You shouldn't blame yourself, either.”

Bonnie flinches back as though she's been hit. “Who else is there to blame?” Her voice is low with grief and guilt. “If I'd just been quiet, then he wouldn't have worried about being caught. We could have run away, and he would still be alive!” Tears are falling down Bonnie's face again, and you push aside the want to brush them away. “If I'd just gotten over my own fear long enough, we would have been okay.” 

Her voice breaks, words drowned by sobs. Cole hugs her like you hug him, and you move over to run your hand through her hair, undoing the tangles in the short locks. The two of you sit there until Bonnie stills in sleep, her breathing deep. Cole lifts her as though she weighs nothing, making a silent request to place her on your bed. You will always say yes. When her hair is splayed across the pillow and the blanket pulled up to her chin, Cole moves back, and you hug him, wishing that you could make everything okay just by willing it.

He whispers apologies and thanks into your ear but you brush them aside like you would snow off his hat. If you demanded thanks for your actions, you would be numb by now. Can hats become numb? Cole chuckles slightly at your train of thought and you smile, pressing a kiss against his cheek. He grins, a small shy thing, and you return the smile.

His expression fades as his gaze returns to the girl in the bed. “He didn't know she was still alive. He thought that bruises against her mouth stole her breath, her life, a limp bunny on the bottom of a cupboard. It hurt him less to forget, but it would have helped to know.”

You can't think of Bonnie without thinking of Cole, without thinking of the spire, without thinking of Rhys and Evangeline, without thinking of Bonnie. He follows the cycle of thoughts, the downward spiral. His breathing becomes heavier in his panic, his own thoughts demanding his attention.

With the happiness of seeing them will surely come the pain of remembering, the insecurities that come with being too human to be sure, and you know the thoughts well enough to recognise them in Cole.

“I’m sorry, I can’t, it's too much, too fast, I can't-” he breaks off and you hug him again. He clutches you as if you could save him from drowning, but you can only support him, guide him. You can't save him.

You wish you could hold Cole forever, a wall around him, protecting him from the storm that rages outside. But you both know that the one inside does the most damage, and that the most you can be is an anchor. But that's enough.


End file.
